Tickets and tables for the 2026 Scaffolding Excellence Awards are now on sale, with the gala evening due to take place on Friday 11 September in Manchester.
The awards will be held as part of ScaffEx26, which returns to Manchester Central on 10 and 11 September.
The annual dinner brings together scaffolding contractors, suppliers, manufacturers, training providers and other industry figures for one of the main social events in the sector’s calendar.
This year’s ceremony will be hosted by comedian and broadcaster Dara Ó Briain, best known for Mock the Week, Blockbusters, Robot Wars and Stargazing Live.
The 2026 awards will use the same 9 categories as last year, covering projects, design, products, services, apprenticeships and long-term contribution to the scaffolding and access industry.
One change has been made for this year’s event. The Apprentice of the Year Award has been renamed the Wayne Connolly Apprentice of the Year Award, in memory of the former NASC president and CISRS chairman, who died in December 2025.
The move recognises Connolly’s long service to the sector, including his work around training and standards.
Judging will be chaired by Dr James MacFadden, senior responsible CSA engineer at Sellafield.
Dr MacFadden said the 2025 entries had shown a strong standard across project delivery, leadership and teamwork.
He said the awards were a way to recognise “hard work and professionalism that often goes unseen”.
He added that he was pleased to chair the judging panel again, with experts from across the industry involved in the process.
Tickets and tables are available now here, with organisers expecting demand to be high.
